I lost my friend today.

This just sucks. A few days ago I told you about my friend Mark Sullivan. He died today.

Mark had a congenital condition that eventually compromised his heart to the point he needed a transplant. His condition deteriorated so rapidly he went from his happy-go-lucky self 10 days ago to his heart finally giving out at 9am today. Mark was 40 years old.

Mark had his spleen removed a few days after birth leaving a decent sized scar on his torso. He was so unassuming and always deflected attention away from what we would later learn was his knowing any day could be the day. Once, a girl he was seeing asked me about Mark getting bit by a shark. I asked her what the hell she was talking about, she said "I saw the scar on his abdomen and I asked him what happened, he said he got bit by a shark". Knowing Mark he was laughing the whole time.

I've known Mark for 15 years and I was fortunate to be his roommate in Raleigh for 6 months. Mark was a good looking guy, played guitar, wrote songs, and was a genuinely great human being. Needless to say the ladies loved him. But it wasn't some skank-ho fest at our place, there were no strippers, no dumb-asses, no body shots. Marine Biologists and aspiring Psychologists and such. It was one of the best times I ever had, and I'm pretty sure it was for Mark as well.

I moved back to Denver, Mark eventually moved on...first to Jacksonville at the legendary WAPE. I hooked him up with John Peake who brought him to the even more legendary KRBE, Houston. Mark was big time. He would go on to Minneapolis, Tucson, even Mankato Minnesota where he thought he wanted to be a Program Director. Mark last radio days were spent in Chicago at Love FM, within earshot of his hometown.

3 months ago they told Mark he would need a heart and liver transplant by the end of the year. He almost made it, we all thought he would. We all just took the cue from his optimism, he thought it was no big deal. When it was all said and done he would just tell people he got bit by another shark. That was Mark.

Donate your organs if you're not set up to do so already. And I hope somebody like Mark will cross your path, you'll be a much better person because of it. Trust me.

Hear Mark's music on his MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/marksullymusic